Ultrasonic evaluation of the master knot of henry: anatomical relationships and predictive modeling.

PURPOSE

To explore the value of ultrasound in evaluating the anatomical structures around the master knot of Henry (MKH).

METHODS

Ultrasound examinations were performed on 200 feet of 100 adult volunteers. The length of each foot was measured, and the distances from the medial border of the MKH to the medial malleolus (MM), the navicular tuberosity (NT), the interphalangeal joint of the hallux (IP), and the medial plantar artery (MPA) were measured. The layered tissues formed by the slipping of the tendon of the flexor hallucis longus (FHL), the quadratus plantae muscle (QP), and the tendon of the flexor digitorum longus (FDL) were determined. The ratios of each length variable to the foot length were calculated, and the relationship between each tendon-related parameter and the foot length was estimated based on regression analysis. The ability of ultrasound to display the relationship with plantar blood vessels, layered tissues, and other aspects was evaluated.

RESULTS

The average foot length was 23.27 ± 1.43 cm. Distances from MKH to MM, NT, IP, and MPA were 7.51 ± 0.75 cm, 1.92 ± 0.23 cm, 13.03 ± 0.69 cm, and 0.18 ± 0.05 cm, respectively. Layered structures: 97% two-layer, 3% three-layer. Foot length strongly correlated with MKH-MM, MKH-NT, and MKH-IP. A regression equation was derived to predict tendon-related parameters, aiding MKH-anatomical landmark relationships.

CONCLUSION

Ultrasound examination holds significant value in evaluating the anatomical structures of the plantar region.